Contest Grooming!

Grooming and personal appearance are not supposed to count for or against your final score. However, more often than not, the bodybuilder who looks the most polished gets more attention from the judges.

Article Summary:

With all that skin exposed, make sure it is in healthy condition and tone

If you're going to shave, don't wait until the day before to practice.

Make sure you pack everything you're going to need to look your best.

Contest Grooming!

Grooming and personal appearance is not supposed to count for or against your final score. However, more often than not, the bodybuilder who looks the healthiest, has the right skin color and tone, and who wears a posing suit color that compliments their hair and skin color will get the higher marks.

Did you know? The largest organ in your body is your skin, your liver comes in second. What does this mean? Your skin is what the judges and everyone else sees of you. And, being the visual creatures we are, it's good advice to take a little extra time out to make sure that you have a flattering skin tone and color during the competition.

Click To Enlarge.Make Sure You Have A Flattering Skin Tone And Color.

There's actually quite a few things you can do to improve your appearance in this area. One of the biggest sources of blotchy skin or a bad complexion is junk food and chocolate. As a seasoned bodybuilder who is into health, dieting down, and getting cut up this probably isn't too big of a problem.

Nonetheless, diet is extremely important to your skin and overall health in the long run. It's recommended to eat at least 5-6 servings of fruits and veggies per day. Also, make sure your body is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs with a good multivitamin/mineral supplement. This will keep your skin and body healthy and looking good.

. Unless you have naturally dark skin, you will want your skin to have a deep tan for the competition. Darker skin shows the striations in your muscles better and looks better than pale skin.

How do you get tan? Well, you can take the more permanent natural approach...sun tanning and tanning beds...or you can use a route that is becoming more and more popular...tanless lotions and creams, pigment pills, or a combination of both.

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First, a natural sun-derived tan looks good and is more permanent. The only drawback is that if you lie out too long you may get burnt, especially if you have fair skin. Those who are at the highest risk expose themselves to the sun for intense, short periods of time. That's why sunscreen is very important. No matter how dark you are, you should at least put on a light amount of sunscreen. Obviously the lighter you are, the stronger your sunscreen must be. This way you will block most of the harmful rays that burn and let in rays that tan.

Click To Enlarge.The Lighter You Are, The Stronger Your Sunscreen Should Be.

Next, another popular method for tanning in recent years has been tanning beds. The ultraviolet lights allow minimal burning rays to touch your skin, while mainly tanning. Fair skin tanners should go only 15 minutes max with maybe even a little sunscreen on sensitive areas like the nose. The longest duration anyone should tan in a bed is 30 minutes.

Last, the desire for artificial "tan-in-a-bottle" is growing faster than ever before. More and more people are deciding to stay out of the harmful sun and "put on the tan". This can be a truly effective method for competing bodybuilders. In the 80's, a lot of "instant tan" products left skin looking yellow or orange...not natural looking at all. But since then, Jan Tana, Pro Tan, and others have come out with revolutionary tanning products that work and look just as well, if not even better than a natural tan in some cases.

Another popular method used to darken the skin is by taking a ASN product called Canthaxanthin. It uses the natural food substance called

canthaxin

to darken the pigment in your skin safe and effectively from the inside out.

Many bodybuilders find a combination of tanning options to be effective, such as tanning in beds with Competition Tan. Or Canthaxanthin with Bronzer. Choose the tanning method that is safest and most effective for you...but be smart!

Nearly all (if not all) bodybuilders oil up before the competition to highlight and give definition to their muscularity. One of the most popular products is Pro Tan's Muscle Juice Pro Posing Oil. Remember how important it is for your skin to look healthy and tan at the competition.

Some bodybuilders use a razor and shaving cream to shave it all off 2-3 months before their competition, then keep it off by re-shaving weekly. It takes a bit of practice, you don't want to nick yourself before the show.

Be sure to give yourself enough time to experiment before the competition.

It's usually best to get a fresh haircut and have your hair styled before the competition. It's really worth the extra few bucks. Clean cut is usually the best way to go. You don't want to hide your massive delts or upper back muscularity with long hair. Put on a lot of hair spray to make sure your style holds thoughout the show.

Facial hair is not a problem, unless you're a female...otherwise, beards and mustaches are welcome at the competition and won't affect your ranking as long as you don't look like Santa. If you're balding, you might consider hair transplants, hair tonic, or just shave it all off.

because it's not uncommon to get oil on your suit sometime throughout the posing. You'll also want to try on a few different cuts and styles to find one that fits you right and looks good. At the highest levels of the sport, you'll see professional bodybuilders usually sticking with the same color.

Experience will tell you what you personally need to add to this list to make it perfect for you. Check it all off as you add it to your gym bag and you won't get to the competition missing some vital item! Then, you will have less stress wondering if you forgot something and you will be able to focus more intensely on the competition.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to beginning any diet or exercise program or taking any dietary supplement. The content on our website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional.